As a CAPS graduate several years ago and a remodeling contractor I make my primary living off the aging boomers. I got into this area of construction primarily because of what my observations were of my own family. Parents did not want to admit they were getting older but needed upgrades to their bathrooms because of the condition the baths were in. Once I showed them the accessories available for the bath, they on their own asked for these modifications. What folks need to know you do not have to make the home look like a hospital for it to function for aging adult community. This is a common misconception many folks have. When we design baths kitchens and entrances to the homes we do it in such a fashion that it looks natural. Wide openings lots of light both natural and artificial which all blend well. This makes the house not only nice to look at but become very functional as well.

The younger couples I find take to these changes quite well. They like the openness of the designs and the free flowing rooms. Because more and more manufactures are selling products that are more aging friendly many younger folks do not even know that the product designs were for the older adult community. Take the door handles sold today. More and more designs with lever knobs are available. Grab bars that double as towel racks just to name a few.

I also find that younger adults because of housing costs these days are getting help from their parents. Several of them are moving in together. Because mom and or dad no longer can help themselves and do not have enough funds to go to an aging community they are selling their homes and are helping their children purchase their first homes and financing the renovation of the homes to fit their needs so they have a place to stay.

Our primary requests are curb-less showers with seats. Some wider doors, and family room upgrades. More lights for reading and small additions or wings to the current home to provide privacy for the parents. Wood floors are in now. Mostly for the indoor air quality issues but serves the purpose as well for those in wheel chairs making it easier to move around in the home. Exterior entrances are also a big plus for us. Many of our clients have issues with stairs. We build retaining walls and design the grading of the home to make it appear that there is no ramp just a pitched sidewalk to the entrance of the home.

Hello I am a builder in Northern Lower Michigan and have been selling to this market for years. You hare doing some of the really key things we do. A couple more to add to your tool box.
1. lighting and glare - use definition with color in counters and sink and wall paint and trim - also matt/brushed finishes for plumbing and surfaces as eye fail this gives definition to you spaces. bonus easier to keep clean
2. Raise the recepticles 6" to plug in stuff.
3. Use low maintence material for heavy use areas - slab corian for showers instead of tile and grout - lay in a sizzel strip to liven it up, of course include a bench seat and handheld shower round it out with a light - all for the benefit of shaving your legs - sorry guys

The big key in the sell of these features is for when you might need it. It can be for someone special in your life; or it is simple, clean, practical ageless design.
take care, Sally CAPS

As an Administrator of an Assisted Living Center one of the reasons our seniors are unable to stay in their homes is that their homes are not equipped to accomodate wheelchairs, walkers and that bathrooms do not address the needs of a physically challenged individual. When remodeling the need to build with age adaptability is very necessary. Spending those dollars today very possibly address your ability to say in your home longer.

As we approach the mid-70's, my wife and I are wondering much the same thing: where do we go from here, or do we stay, and if so, what kind of modifications will be needed? We're both very healthy and quite athletic now, but what about X years from now, and how do we deal with the changes? Not an easy challenge to resolve! I'd be very pleased to hear what input you get and how we might use it to make our decisions.

We just completed building our "retirement" home in WV. It is a rancher with a finished basement. My wife is a Little Person and has a lot of joint problems. So, we put in a residential elevator for ~$18K, installed 36" doors, walk-in shower in the masterbath, reinforced walls for shower grab bars, kitchen island is 3" lower than standard, farmhouse sink to gain an extra 2" access, and a swim-in-place pool. The house is heated/cool with geothermal HVAC and the external walls are structural insulated panels. The siding is Hardi Fibre-cement plank siding stained like cedar planks.

Our corner kitchen cabinets come all the way down to the countertop for easy access to plates and glasses.

We never thought we could afford such a house, but prudent saving and modest inheritances got us there.

Now we have to figure out when to retire!!

Take care.

I'm a boomer too, planning to retire in about 2 more yrs. We want to move, but everything being built seems to be multi-story. My wife and are in good health, but in the future, don't want to have to constantly go upstairs to clean etc. Our home now has the washer/dryer in the basement, not a good idea for older boomers. Guess we'll have to build.

Happy Birthday Marjie

Don--I'd love your house!
As another boomer I've also found myself questioning my current housing--a large 3-bedroom ranch with a large yard, all of which I must take care of myself. I love gardening(but not quite so much as I currently have), so I don't want to go to a condo. Unfortunately, condos and townhouses seem to be where our local builders all expect us to end up! Sorry to insult town house owners, but to me they're glorified modern row houses that will eventually see the same problems. Nor do I want all the unnecessary maintenance and work of my current home. I don't consider renting an option for other reasons. A small 1 or 2 bedroom would be ideal, but those I've seen are all old and in poor shape. There are a few adult-only communities with small cottages, but I don't want that type of limited environment. Where, oh where are the "green" and energy efficient small homes we need? Our children's generation will be making the move into those types of homes as we leave this world, so I can see a continuing need for them. I really don't want to buy a lot and have one built myself, but they're simply not available.

I had plans to build an accessible home in summer-fall 2007. May 1, 2007, I was involved in an accident and was in a wheelchair for 1 month then used a walker for three weeks. I have since graduated to a cane and should make a full recovery. Having gone thru this, I have some experience dealing with limited mobility and now have additional incentive to build an accessible house. Fortunately, the couple that took me in (my current residence is not very accessible) had already planned for their "retirement years" and built a mostly accessible house. My month and a half stay was a good "test" for them and their home.

Besides thinking, planning and building for the indoors, you should consider the outdoors. Build steps leading to the house that are deep enough and wide enough for a walker. If you have a sloping lot, make sure any steps are deep enough and wide enough for a walker.

So, do not just plan for "retirement". Accidents happen. Fortunately, my lack of mobility was temporary. For some people, it is not. Hope for the best ... and plan for the worst. My experience has given my family and friends the reason to consider the accessibility of their current and future homes.

Hi all. I'm 66 & have done everything when improving my home to make it as maintenance-free as possible. I have, also, run into the problem of taking care of the outdoor situation. Because of arthritis I have trouble doing much yard work. With the scaricity of water in the West where I live, I'm thinking of installing artificial turf. It looks much better now than it did many years ago & is guaranteed to last about 15 years. Has any of you done this? Thanks

In 1997 my Mother-in-law lost her home to a fire. In planning the new one we did a number of the things listed above. I did not see mention of a house built on a slab. Her house is and there are 6 different entrances and none of them have any steps. The front door has an almost unnoticeable rise. There is also a walk way all the way around the house. There are french doors in 2 of the bedrooms. The main reason for so many exits was because of the previous fire. She is 94 and uses a walker. If a fire did happen she would have many ways to get out. She didn't in her old house. Thank goodness she was able to get out without injury. Several people mentioned proper lighting. That is one thing that was done wrong in her house. In planning the lighting, awareness should be considered about the persons vision. In her case she has extreme sensitivity to a lot of bright light. Her son had numerous can lights put in nearly every room. Plus ceiling fixtures. The house has enough windows to not even use lights during the day. The can lights are of no real use in her case and cause a waste of energy because of escaping heat in winter and attic heat in the summer. These are just some safety and energy saving ideas to add to the suggestions in the other comments.

Just one extra suggestion for stairs: Make sure there is a handrail. Broke my back six weeks ago, had to spend an extra week in the hospital due to lack of same. Peggy's mom should consider dimmers if her can lights are too bright. (Yep, I know, not all can lights can accomodate dimmers, but it's worth checking. Some can lights can be fitted with colored, translucent or gridded lenses to reduce the light intensity as well. Peggy should see if it is possible to add enclosures to the can lights on the attic side so insulation can be properly installed, or consider replacing the cans with those that can be insulated and dimmed.

Marjie,
I am glad to see you are covering Aging in Place and getting positive and thoughful comments.
My own blog (http://www.housingzone.com/search/siteall?q=tenenbaum&x=0&y=0) is just cranking up to focus on the subject.
A lot of us need to work together to make keep this issue and solution front and center.

When we downsized, we sold our split-entry, 4 bedroom, 3 bath, 2 story, no basement but lots of stairs, 1600' on a level not counting the garage, home on a large city lot. And bought 10 acres in the country. We had a triple wide (Vally Quality)manufactured home 2,222 sq. ft.put on it. We had look at homes on one level but none offered what this has, french doors, easy girp handles, great room, with kitchen & living spaces together, wide halls, new & clean. We have a large master bedroom & bath with a tub and a stand alone shower. Plus 2 other bedrooms with one bath, shower in the tub. This is all down a different hallway then the master. Laundry room is right off the great room & it has a 1/2 bath. We live about 5 miles from town, and so far all neightbors are at least 5 acres away. Hubby sure likes the peace & quite of the country. We love our new home as it's so easy to do things, & we have lots of room for company. We were thinking of easy care & room for different mobility if needed. We know of the needs of wheel chairs, & walkers, so it was easy to spot in this home, right off. It has mostly fluorescents for lighting now, thats what we like, living in the desert, I'm not standing under those hot can lights. Fluorescents are great,but it's all about getting the right color of tubes, we hardly ever need to replace them. Anyway, maybe looking into a GOOD manufactured home is an easier answer, they make changes easily to meet your needs, just don't go super cheap. We have plasterboard walls, not that thin wall paper on even thinner panles. Lots of people could not believe it is a manufactured home. We don't use most of the land, but it's nice to sit on the porch & look at it. We have no grass, lots of gravel pathways & desert wild live to look at, not much yard to take care of., we plant in pots around the porch. I can't wait till I can retire like hubby and just enjoy the good life! Good luck.